When: Aug. 7-17

Where: Various venues in Vancouver and Surrey

Info & tickets: monsoonartsfest.ca

For Andy Kalirai, writing and acting in his one-man play Gemini wasn’t enough. To play the title character, he set himself an additional challenge — learning to rap.

A local actor who grew up in South Vancouver and Surrey, Kalirai had help from local musician Clay Osiris.

“He helped me a lot, teaching me full rhythm lyrics, rapping over beats. We spent so much time over the last three or four years learning how to rap and record.”

Kalirai is debuting the play, which he began writing four years ago, at this year’s Monsoon festival. Now in its 10th year, the multidisciplinary and bilingual festival features dance, theatre, comedy and more.

Along with Kalirai’s Gemini, highlights includ

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